First Day Together
by TitaniaSarys
Summary: The day the original five Strawhats met in their dorm. Part 1 of the Grand Line College series.


I changed a few things to make the story seem more real, like I gave last names to everyone based on their caracteristics and origins, I gave them the origins Oda mentioned, I adapted their story to a world without powers, etc.

Here are the members of the dorm for now:  
× Monkey D. Luffy (20 yo) – freshman in sports (specializes in athletics), Brazilian origins (mother), brother of Portgas D. Ace and Sabo, no past record  
× Roronoa Zoro (21 yo) – freshman in sports (specializes in martial arts, especially kendo), Japanese origins (father), childhood best friend of Kuina (not a student), spent one year traveling  
× Navigera Nami (21 yo) – freshman in climatology (specializes in cartography and navigation), Swedish origins from unknown parents, sister of Nojiko (not a student), spent a year working as an escort and thief in the Arlong weapon cartel  
× Skep Usopp (20 yo) – freshman in engineering (specializes in design), African origins (father), childhood best friend of Kaya (not yet a student), no past record  
× Prince (Vinsmoke) Sanji (21 yo) – freshman in business (specializes in management of small businesses), French origins (mother), spent a year cooking in a restaurant to perfect his skills and to escape his father and the Vinsmoke drug cartel

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity, Nami finally reached campus. From what she had read and heard, the campus was a town in itself, with dozens of different faculties to accommodate all sorts of studies and fields for the various sports. It had a few shops, bars and even a bakery. She was particularly interested in the gigantic library though.

It was one of those colleges that had been built in the last two decades, unlike some of the colleges on the West Coast where she had thought about going. But none of them, despite their excellent programs, offered her the studies she was looking for. She knew she was being picky and took a high risk by coming to Grand Line College, but it was the best choice. It was far enough from home, so she wouldn't have to worry about her past coming to haunt her, the scholarship was incredibly generous and her expectations were high.

She thought it was all a bad joke at first, that no college would offer such a high scholarship to some unknown second class student from the East Coast like her. But they did, saying that they were looking for new talents and wanted to give them a chance the other colleges wouldn't give them.

When she spoke with the vice dean on the phone, she asked him if he was aware that it was risky to offer such scholarship to all of his students. The vice dean simply laughed and said that he was willing to take the risk. That without risk there could be no success.

And so here she was, after an almost two-days trip across the entire continent, far from her beloved East Coast and her city. From what she had gathered, a lot of new students would be arriving that day. The students already enrolled had a somewhat… turbulent reputation. They were known to cause trouble on campus and sometimes in the adjacent town, Oda City, but all of them were experts in their field. The best basketball player of the season? He graduated from Grand Line College. The young scientist who wrote all those amazing oceanography articles she read almost religiously? He graduated from Grand Line College. The new minister of education? She graduated from Grand Line College.

But she had to admit that she already missed the sea. Grand Line College was in the middle of the country and the fastest to the sea was a three hour trip. Forests and hills surrounded campus and some students even implied that there were hidden grottos scattered here and there. There was a lake on campus though, a giant lake where the canoe team practiced during the nice weather. She had even heard there was an amazing café overlooking the lake, peaceful and cozy, just like one of those self-created independent little businesses she loved in Cocoyashi.

As she watched the trees roll by through the car's window, she went through the papers on her lap one more time. She had her admission letter and the invitation to meet the vice dean. She looked at the last paper. She had asked for a room in a dorm on campus because she couldn't afford a hotel in Oda City, even with her scholarship. The college had agreed to rent her a room in one of the dorms on the south side, closest to the library and the sports buildings and the fee was comprised in her scholarship, so at least she wouldn't have to worry about paying a rent. She had to admit, it was a relief for her sister and her guardian to read that she wouldn't have money issues that year. They all knew how it ended when she did…

The only thing about this dorm was that, because she was one of the last students to get accepted due to the time it took her to finally apply, there was only one dorm left. Although her four other roommates would be boys, the vice dean assured her that she had a room of her own and that, should there be a problem, she could always contact the university's security office or even the vice dean himself.

Nami smiled. She could deal with boys, no problem. As long as everyone respected each other. She didn't know their names or even what they studied, but she thought it was for the best. Better to see for herself.

The driver of the car then looked at her through the rearview mirror.

"We're almost there, Miss. I can't drive through the whole campus to show you around, since I've got other students to pick up at the train station in Oda City after you, but there are plenty of maps all over campus. And you seem like a smart lass, I'm sure you'll find your way around."

Nami politely smiled and checked her makeup in her purse mirror as they entered the south dorms area. She was lucky to have most of her classes on the south of campus, although she did have one or two classes farther north. She could always use one of the many free to use bikes that she saw at every corner or take the bus if it rained. Unless one of her roommates had a car and she could catch a ride every now and then.

They arrived in front of the last dorm. Every dorm was like a small house that had a living room with a functioning kitchen on the ground floor and up to ten rooms on the first floor with a shared bathroom. She cringed a little at the thought of sharing a bathroom with four dudes, but she had been through worse.

She got out of the car as soon as it stopped, excited beyond measure. She might have hidden her excitement to her sister when she left, because she didn't want to make her sad, but she was looking forward to this new life. Two men were standing in front of the dorm which didn't look exactly like what she expected. The front was beautiful, with a ram's head carved delicately in the wood above the front door and it seemed clean. The garden around the dorm was quite spacious if she was honest and she immediately wondered what the policy was to plant trees in the dorm's garden. The dorm itself seemed rather big but half of it was covered with plastic sheets that threatened to be ripped away by the wind. There was a construction ramp on the back but it didn't seem as if any construction was underway. To Nami, the house looked old as if someone had started to give it a new face but had abandoned halfway through.

One of the men thanked the other and went inside with his suitcase and the vice dean turned to her.

"Miss Navigera, welcome to Grand Line College!" He had a pair of round glasses on his crooked nose, and his smile was warm despite the neat scar on his right eye. His long white hair was tied behind his head in a neat bun, making him look like a respectable modern professor. His sun burnt skin suggested he had seen more than one harsh summer but his demeanor was like a welcoming breeze, beckoning her forward.

"I hope you had a pleasant trip."

"Thank you, Vice Dean Rayleigh. It was fine. Thank you for sending someone to pick me up."

She also thanked the driver when he pulled her two big suitcases out of the trunk.

"My pleasure. Now, let me walk you through your next days," Rayleigh said and gestured for her to follow him towards the dorm. "I'm sorry that you had to find your dorm in such a state. We wanted to make some repairs to add a couple of extra rooms for this dorm to be as big as the others, but a brutal storm forced us to reschedule the construction. Then the money had to be directed towards the construction of a new classrooms building when a fire destroyed it last term. For now, we don't know when it will be repaired."

Nami nodded her understanding.

"It's a tradition for the new students to name their dorm when all of them are freshmen, so I'll let you decide about that with your new roommates. They have all arrived now and you're free to join them in a couple of minutes."

He then gave her some new papers with addresses as to where to go the next day to learn about her classes, a voucher for the stores on campus, various phone numbers and addresses in case she needed anything and also a bus card and a map of campus.

"We don't have any rules when it comes to curfew or travels to Oda City. You're mostly all adults in this school, so it's up to you. I advise you to be careful, especially if you drive. Otherwise, there are several buses leaving every day for the city."

"Thank you, Vice Dean Rayleigh."

"Well, don't hesitate to call me if you need anything. I'll leave you to your unpacking now." The driver was already gone and the vice dean walked out of the property and onto the cement sidewalk that linked all of the dorms together.

Before entering, Nami took a good look around. Trees prevented her from seeing the other dorms but she could hear people partying in the distance. She could also see the road and the entrance to the garden. She actually realized there was an old dusty car parked near the entrance. So one of her roommates had a car. There were two windows on this side of the dorm and she wondered if it would be the view from her room. The construction area of the dorm was on the far north side and all the other windows from the upper floor were on the left.

Grabbing a suitcase in each hand, she made her way towards the door and nudged it open with her foot. It didn't look like much from the outside, but the inside was quite nice. It wasn't too big, just enough room for five people to live peacefully in. The living room took all the ground floor and there was a couch in the center of the room in front of a TV. It looked like a model from three years ago, but Nami didn't mind. She wasn't that much of a TV watcher anyway.

The kitchen was separated from the living room by a mere counter and three high chairs that looked as if they had been stolen from a bar. There were two fridges and one of them had a lock on it which made Nami laugh. One of her roommates definitely hated midnight cravings food thieves. There was a small table in the corner with a couple of chairs, but it seemed too small to do any real work on it. Toilet was through the door directly on her left and there was a welcome mat under her feet.

Next to the TV were the wooden stairs that led to a landing from which one could access all the rooms. She counted six doors and figured one of them must be the bathroom. Two of the bedrooms had their doors open and she could hear laughter coming from them. She was about to climb the stairs when someone said:

"Acting or modeling?"

Frowning, she looked around, confused, until she noticed a guy sprawled on the couch in a position that she would only describe as provocative. He wore a denim jacket that had its sleeves ripped off, bits of thread coming out in weird angles. He wore a black sleeveless top underneath and the only thing decorating his buff arms was a dark green bandana on his left biceps. He had three gold earrings on one ear and a smug grin on his face. His jeans were ripped at the knees and seemed to have seen better days but at least his combat boots were next to the door. Lying sprawled on the ground like abandoned toys, but still next to the door and not on the couch.

"Are you into modeling or into acting?" he asked again.

Nami didn't know if she should feel complimented or insulted. It wasn't the first time someone noticed her face before her brains and she could be mad about that, especially since she didn't like his leering one bit, but she decided to be civil, at least for today.

"Neither," she answered and took her high heeled sandals off to put neatly next to the door, on the opposite side of the combat boots. The dark haired guy simply raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but didn't say anything. Now that Nami got a closer look at him, she noticed some green strands in his dark hair, probably the remaining of a dare from the summer.

She was about to ask him what he studied, but when she approached the couch, he was already fast asleep and snoring.

"Unbelievable," she muttered.

Deciding to leave the introductions for later, she eyed the stairs suspiciously. It was out of the question that she'd try to carry both her suitcases up the stairs, she'd probably have trouble just with the lighter one. Taking the one containing clothes and not books, she started climbing.

Halfway through, the young man from earlier appeared. "Oh, let me help you with that, Miss." She paused to look at him. He wore a deep blue shirt and dark suit pants. He still had his shining shoes on and a cigarettes pack was sticking out of his pants pocket. His blond hair partially covered one of his blue eyes and Nami half expected his smile to look like the smile of the guy from the Colgate add

He blushed when he caught her staring and took a look in turn at her, his gaze falling on her long red hair that she didn't bother to attach that day. She had put a small amount of makeup around her hazel eyes and her clothes were the most comfortable, while still elegant, that she owned. He swiftly looked at her E-sized breasts, before focusing back on her face, ignoring her brown sleeveless top and her deep burgundy skirt that barely reached her knees. She knew what kind of body she had, had been aware of its effects on men for years. But she was glad to see that the blonde wasn't leering like the other man on the couch.

He gently took her suitcase and effortlessly placed it on the landing before looking confused. Nami's gaze followed his and she noticed that the only room left was the one on the far right, the farthest from the bathroom.

"We can switch rooms, if you want. I just got here, I don't mind."

She smiled back at him. "It's okay, I don't mind this one either."

She rolled her suitcase into her new room. It wasn't big, had a small bed but big enough for her, a nice desk and plenty of room for clothes as well as a shelf for books. The blonde guy looked over the railing and noticed the second matching suitcase.

"Would you like me to bring up your other suitcase?" he gently asked, the kindest smile forming on his lips. He seemed a little too eager to help, but she couldn't help but find it endearing.

"Yes, please. Be careful, it's heavy though." He shrugged it off and went downstairs.

Meanwhile she checked out her furniture. The view from her window looked out onto the forest and she could hear some birds chirping the last notes of summer. Her room wasn't big and could use some decorating, but she could do with that. She could make it feel cozy. Pulling out a framed picture, she placed it on her night stand before her knight in shining armor appeared. She could tell that he had trouble with the suitcase, but he didn't let it show and smiled.

"Thanks!" She walked out of the room and extended her hand. "I'm Nami."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Nami, I'm Sanji," he answered and shook her hand.

She then poked her head through the open room next to hers. But before she could greet the two students sitting there, the smallest bolted out of the room, almost knocking her over. She was about to yell at him when he sprinted down the stairs, shouting "TEAM MEETING! EVERYONE DOWN!"

And then he jumped on the couch and startled the sleeping man who started to choke him. "Do they know each other?" She asked Sanji, her hands on the railing as she watched the youngest laughing and ducking away from the angry now awake student.

"Nope. We've all just met." Said someone on her right.

It was the other young man. His darker skin told Nami that he had African origins, so did his frizzy black hair. He had a suspiciously long nose and big dark kind eyes. His faded T-shirt showed a video games company logo and he also wore cargo pants. A pair of transparent chemistry safety glasses shielded his eyes and headphones were thrown over his shoulders. He quickly dug into his oversized pants pocket to turn the music off.

"You guys coming?" yelled the smaller man from the kitchen counter before Nami could introduce herself.

"Hey! You idiot! Get your filthy sandals off my counter!" Yelled Sanji, threateningly pointing his cigarettes pack at the giggling boy. As Nami and the other students made their way downstairs, she looked over at the last of her roommates.

He was probably her height and was lean. He seemed to be into some kind of sports, but nothing that involved huge biceps like the ones the buff guy had. His dark hair was a little wild and he wore a straw-hat. He wore a red basketball jersey with the name of a team she didn't know and jean shorts. His sandals were covered in dirt and sand as if he had just come back from the beach. There was a small but visible scar on his cheek under his left dark eye, and his smile could light up the sky.

Nami sat at the counter on one of the high chairs and put on her shoes before completely ruining her feet (since nobody else besides the sleeping man took them off). Sanji started making some lemonade with the fruit he brought while the three other guys sat on the couch. She realized it was too small for all of them to fit on.

"Before we start introducing ourselves, did any of you bring food?" Sanji asked. "I've got some for the next couple of days, but I wondered if you brought something, maybe today we could fix something up together."

She wondered if they would pay separately for their food or do collective grocery shopping, but the lock on the fridge told her it would probably be the former. "I brought some tangerines," she said before fetching them from her suitcase.

As it turned out, Luffy, the straw-hat guy, had at least ten pounds of meat, Zoro, the one she met first, had a few decent bottles of alcohol and Usopp, the geek, had the basic student survival kit, aka rice, pasta and ketchup.

Sanji pulled various fresh ingredients from the fridge and cooked one of the best meals she ever had. It wasn't long before they all started introducing themselves and she actually ended up on the left end of the couch, while Luffy and Usopp lay on the floor, laughing most of the time. They decided to put some ground rules straight away, although Nami had a suspicion they wouldn't be respected anyway.

Monkey D. Luffy studied athletics and got his scar in a stupid throwing accident when he was just starting his career. He wanted to become a great athlete and hated when his grandfather told him to enroll in the navy. They laid some private things on the table right away. Like Luffy had been mostly raised by his grandfather, had just seen his father a few times and lost his mother very young. He used to play and run around with his brothers Ace and Sabo, both whom were seniors in this very same college.

Roronoa Zoro was also into sports, but he studied martial arts, especially kendo. He seemed like a pretty quiet and introverted guy, but he liked to tease and hated to be woken up from his naps. He was the same age as Nami but had spent the last year traveling before deciding to go to college.

Skep Usopp studied engineering but liked crafting things best. He seemed full of ideas and had countless pop culture references, some of which Nami was proud to recognize. He seemed like the kind of guy who had been bullied a long time ago but was living life to the fullest now.

Prince Sanji studied business because he wanted to be able to run a restaurant one day. He was an excellent cook, the best one Nami had met, and had won a few prizes, but his end goal was his restaurant. Just like Nami, he had fled his native town but didn't elaborate on that and Nami didn't probe.

"Well, I'm Navigera Nami and I study climatology." Luffy whistled at that and Zoro just smiled. "I've been adopted as a baby and I have one sister. I also lost the woman I consider to be my mother and I'm from the East Coast as well."

Their conversation lasted long into the night and Nami learned a lot of interesting facts about her roommates. She couldn't believe that they were all freshmen and from the East Coast. In the end, they decide to name the dorm "Merry" since the ram above the front door reminded Usopp of a guy from his town. And their group of rumbustious young adults seemed like a merry bunch.

As she made her way to her room around three in the morning, Sanji wished her a good night while he put a blanket over Usopp's passed out form on the couch. Zoro was snoring under the stairs and looked comfortable actually so they left him there. As for Luffy, he had retired to his room and Nami gently closed his door. As she lay in bed that night, she thought that maybe her roommates weren't that bad after all.


End file.
